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| Leanna Villella talks about her role as a hosptial response worker. |
A frightened woman needs a hand to hold as she is examined by a doctor after being raped.
Another terrified woman talks about her pets to distract herself from the pain of sexual assault.
All of these people needed someone to listen, care and offer support; and Leanna Villella was there to help.
Villella is a hospital response worker (HRW) with CARSA, the Niagara Regional Sexual Assault Centre(NRSAC).
NRSAC is a non-profit organization partially funded by the Ministry of the Attorney General. It provides counselling (individual and group), support via a 24 hour crisis line, and emergency services for those who have survived adult sexual assault, childhood sexual abuse and incest. All of their services are free and confidential.
Recent victims of sexual assault are brought to the St. Catharines General Hospital to receive medical attention from a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) and emotional support from an HRW, who will be with them throughout the entire process of dealing with the trauma. The HRW program is funded by the United Way.
“I can not stress the importance of the program,” says Villella, 45, of Welland. “To me, it is a very important thing to be there for someone during such a horrific, horrific time.”
Cheri Huys, the volunteer and hospital response co-ordinator for NRSAC, says only 1 in 10 victims of sexual assault will report the crime.
She says “80-85% of our clients are adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse and the remainder are people who have experienced an adult assault. We see well over 400 clients individually per year and we probably have at least 50-75 calls at the crisis line per month.”
NRSAC responds at the hospital in any situation (children are later refereed to age appropriate agencies) and Villella is there to help the victim deal with their ordeal.
“I’m very actively involved with CARSA,” she says. “I’m the first responder at the hospital in the event of a sexual assault. I’m there as the advocate to the victim. I will work with the doctor, with the nurse, and with the police if the victim proceeds to go forward with charges.”
Forensic evidence is collected if the assault is reported within three days, says Huys.
“The victim then has the option to release it right away to police or have the evidence frozen for up to six months while she/he decides what to do.”
It can take up to six hours to process a forensic kit, says Villella, and she remains with the victim the entire time doing whatever it takes to ease the stress of the situation.
“If they want to show you pictures of their pets or anything to take their mind off the trauma, then you talk about your pets,” she says. “Sometimes there is silence, but at the end they will hug you and you know just being there was all they needed. You take your guidance from them and be there for whatever it is they need.”
Villella began volunteering as a crisis line worker at NRSAC about six years ago and her involvement progressed from there. She was told she would be a good HRW because of her natural ability to connect with victims over the phone.
“I wasn’t sure how I would be when faced with a situation,” she recalls. “But they felt that I’d be able to do it, so I took the training and got the job.”
Villella’s eyes glisten with tears and her voice is barely audible as she remembers her first call as an HRW.
“My first call was a child. To this day…” Villella pauses for a few seconds. “Let’s just say I didn’t do too well on my first call. I actually called one of the senior girls to come in and help. I had to learn to deal with challenging things like that. Children are the most vulnerable in our society, and I realized at that moment I needed to make sure our children are protected.”
Villella also volunteered for the Child Assault Prevention Project (CAP), which is run by NRSAC.
“I think it is one of the most rewarding volunteer programs I’ve ever done,” she says. “We went into the schools and role played different scenarios for the children such as what to do if a stranger approaches them and also child abuse situations. I say it was one of the most rewarding, but it was also one of the most difficult and heart wrenching things I’ve ever done.”
Villella played the part of a child assaulted by an uncle and she says it was emotional each time.
“It did not matter how many times I played that child, I did not have to fake the fear, fake the sadness or fake the tears,” she says. “Especially as I looked around the room and saw all the children’s faces. Children have the opportunity to come up to us afterwards and just share with us anything they feel uncomfortable about or something that’s happened that they’re not sure if it’s right, and I’m saddened to say there are assault cases happening everyday . But I’m also happy to say that we have such a dedicated group of women ready to help these kids through it.”
Although Villella is busy running a successful business, (she has been the owner /operator of Rose City Travel in Welland for 23 years) and is the federal conservative candidate for the Welland Riding, she believes it is her duty to dedicate as much time as possible to NRSAC.
“It does take up a great deal of my volunteer time, but rightfully so,” she says. “If I could do it full time I would. I choose to spend my free time helping other people, and there’s no greater feeling in the world than hearing someone say ‘I don’t think I could have made it through this alone. I’m so glad this program is here.’ It’s my job to make them as comfortable as possible and get through it all; hopefully sending them home in a little better state than when they came in.”
Villella says it’s important for her to balance her intensely emotional time as an HRW with light, joyful moments spent with her two children. She has a 14-year-old son and 19-year-old daughter who are both “extremely funny.”
“Honestly, I would feel lost if I didn’t laugh with my kids every day… laughter is the key.”
She says she had to learn to let go of the tension and stress she felt when she could not do enough to help a victim.
“Things would upset me. I couldn’t comprehend why somebody would deliberately be hurtful to another human being. And I would take it so very personally,” she explains. “I had to start to laugh more. I had to start to loosen up and take life maybe a little less seriously.”
She says her time with NRSAC has taught her a valuable lesson.
“I had to learn I could only do so much for someone in that short period of time. And I had to learn to let go. I can only do my little part in this world and, although it is an important part, it is limited. I can only do what I can do at that time and I need to be able to move on; and that was the hardest thing I ever had to do. How did I learn to deal with it? Laughter.”
Villella says she realizes she can not erase the “horrific situation a victim has experienced” but she believes “we have a responsibility to care for the most vulnerable in our society.”
And that responsibility begins with a simple gesture of compassion and kindness.
“It only takes one person to make a difference,” she says. “I can tell you that is 100% true. It may be momentary or it may be life long, but you can never under estimate the power of volunteering. You may come into someone’s life at a time when they need you the most and you can change the whole direction of where their life is headed.”
If you are a victim of sexual assault you can reach NRSAC at their 24 hour crisis line : (905) 682-4584 or walk into any Niagara Health Site to be treated and referred to the Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Program (located in St. Catharines). Their website is http://sexualassaultniagara.org/
Published in Niagara Life Magazine - March/April 2011 edition
Online version: http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&refresh=7k0Ei1H5Z30s&PBID=6f58c61b-e1f4-42f0-a86e-5379d974afcb&skip
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